Happy New Year!

At the close of our New Year's prayer meeting, our pastor said, "Now I would like all of you to come forward and we'll have a time of prayer for each other." He asked that all who needed prayer sit along the altar while others stood to pray for them, then switch places and pray for those who had prayed!

Howard and I were among those who went forward, and a compassionate stranger prayed for our needs. Then he gave his requests which we prayed for. In conversation, the man mentioned he had been a pastor at a small town nearby several years ago. Howard recalled that we had visited that church. Then memories began to coalesce in my brain, and I said to the former pastor, "Oh, I remember you! You wore a back brace!" Howard had said he'd had the pulpit that morning, which I hadn't remembered, but then I said, "That's why Howard preached, because you had hurt your back!"

I don't think the brother recalled our visit, but he introduced us to his wife, whom Howard remembered as being a fabulous pianist, and they reminisced about the music. In his reflections, Howard told that his brother had held a revival at that church in the early fifties.  He laughed about how the neighbors hadn't appreciated the enthusiastic music and praise and had retaliated by throwing eggs, plastering the outside of the church building!

That must have been the revival (but not the same night) my mother and I, new to our church, had attended with someone who offered us a ride. I was 13 years old.  I hadn't yet met Howard, but we loved to hear his brother Delmar, a fiery young evangelist, preach! (A friend had said that this preacher had a cute brother who was her boyfriend!  Well, he married me!)  

What a wonderful way to start the new year! Prayers, fellowship and reminiscing!  This morning at breakfast my husband remarked on a beautiful star he had seen during the night. That brought to mind the song, Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.  "Do you remember when you first heard that song and wished aloud in front of the Sunday School class you were teaching that you had the words?"

"Yes," Howard said, "and the lady on the front row said, 'I have that song in my purse!'" How often God grants our wants in surprising ways! Howard reminded me that just yesterday he was wishing for a couple of pigs at a price he could afford.  "Then I saw some in the paper at almost exactly the price I  had in mind!" I knew the rest of the story. They are now at the farm  in a pigpen hastily prepared by him and our son! Happy New Year!



 

The Real Thing!

My husband loves telling the story that has the statistics of the number of people in the world who have heard of, seen, or tasted Coke.  Then he compares it to the number of people who have heard the name of Jesus.  Sadly, far more people have heard of Coke than have heard of Jesus.

He even did one of his ministry videos on this subject, opening by singing the song, I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke.  This leads into the metamorphosis of the song to I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, which has an almost-spiritual connotation with the Christian version, "He's the Real Thing," substituted for "It's the real thing."  Howard brings it all together in an evangelistic message.

While we were visiting in Georgia for Christmas, we passed Christmas Eve day exploring the shops in a quaint section of the town where our daughter Amy lives.  My music-loving husband and son Greg gravitated toward a music store where I knew they would spend time strumming guitars.  I opted to go to the drugstore next door.

When I got inside, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of Coke-related products they had!  Signs, ads, Santa Claus drinking Coke, and almost every slogan they'd ever used covering wall décor, beverage glasses and other souvenir items. Howard would love this!, I thought.  Then I spotted the perfect thing to give him for Christmas.  On a whim I bought a rectangular, wooden sign emblazoned with the Coke trademark and the words, I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke, painted in bright red letters.

Checking out at the store counter, I remarked about their many Coca-Cola themed items.  The clerk said, "Yes! Did you notice the painted wall outside?" Of course I had, we'd even had our picture taken in front of it on a previous visit.  The whole drugstore brick wall was meticulously painted in trade-mark red featuring the Santa Claus logo.  "This is the first outside ad Coke ever allowed," she explained. 

Howard's response when he unwrapped the little gift Christmas morning was priceless!  His surprised guffaw of delight made my day. "Where did you get this?" he marveled. I showed him the print on the drugstore bag verifying the store's unique status.  He got a kick out of that, too. 

A few days later we were in Tennessee seeing our daughter Julie's family.   Howard was asked to preach at their church, and at the end of an anointed message, he challenged the people with the comparison statistics about Coke.  I feel sure no one left without the conviction that "He's the Real Thing!" Jesus!

'Tis the Season!

Christmas is but a few days away!  It has suddenly crept up upon me, and now the last minute details that must be attended to are rushing in!  Shopping and  mailing have finally been accomplished, and now I am baking cookies. Packing and planning for our trip is now on the agenda!

Last Sunday after prayer time at church, a prophetic lady approached me and said she saw my hands  like a bowl spilling over! I wasn't sure what that meant, but the next day my hands were unusually busy. The first blog I had written in months poured out of my new laptop (my kids surprised me with an early Christmas present). Browning sausage and chopping peppers, I made breakfast burritos, helped hubby with his ministry video, put on a  pot of beans, baked a chocolate sheet cake, flew through housework and organized my jewelry box!

After weeks of  feeling under the weather and seeing a doctor for a pulled muscle,  the steroid shot I received may have been partly responsible for my surge of energy and sense of well-being, but I give God the glory anyway!  I can't wait to see what else is in store for me!

I was so excited about the Christmas package I sent to our youngest set of grandchildren, with instructions to open them on arrival as I watched on FaceTime.  Two-year-old Isaac knew exactly what to do as he claimed his box and said, "Mine!" He pulled out the little drum set with small instruments inside and began immediately to strum on the miniscule guitar!

I went off the grid a bit with gifts for my granddaughters, 6 and 9.  Since they never get snow in Houston, when I saw a toy snow-ball launcher, I thought they would get a kick out of it and purchased one for each of them.  Imagine my disappointment when they tried the plastic shooters and the Styrofoam balls dropped limply to the floor! Thankfully their father told me yesterday that he had figured out how to work them and they gave a satisfying pop when they were pumped into action!

Resisting last-minute bargains is hard.  I had largely stayed out of the stores, but on a foray yesterday, eye-popping temptations were everywhere! A surprising snow and frigid temperatures the day before found us out in it reveling in the mist of flurries that swirled around us as we completed our errands.

There is so much in this season to enjoy! I love saying "Merry Christmas" to store employees, though some are not allowed to say it back.  Jesus was probably not born in the winter, but long tradition has had us remembering His birth at this time. I am thankful for the bright spot of Christmas in our present darkened world.  A time to reach out to others, whether friend, family, or those for whom those silver bells are ringing on every corner.  May our hands continue to spill over!

Christmas Lights

We drove around and looked at Christmas lights last night.  Just the ones locally, not going out to the lake to see "The Festival of Angels" display that we've seen many times before.  We have a beautiful display closer to home in nearby Cann Gardens.  Lighting the dark, early winter evening and starkly contrasting against the black sky were vignettes of poinsettias, nursery rhyme characters, angels with clouds floating above them, and adobe-style structures. Not to mention the beautiful manger scene and a lovely, lighted church in its electronic beauty.

Our drive took us into neighborhoods with homes cheerily lit up with outlined architectural details, one looking like a gingerbread house with scalloped roof line and windows.  This was so fun!  We ended our tour in the parking lot of a church that had synchronized music and lights dancing up and down Christmas-tree shapes in neon waves of color. Then the colors on the church would change from psychedelic purples, greens, orange or red, illuminating it like a Spanish mission.

This seemed like a culmination of a wonderful Sunday that had begun very early with my making a casserole to cook in the oven on low until we could enjoy it when our son joined us for lunch.  We had been delighted at church to see the children's Christmas presentation, a tableau of tiny shepherds, wise men, and a blue-clad cherub placing a swaddled doll in a manger. The distractible shepherds found the hooked shepherd's rods useful for waving, interlocking and aiming at others, providing stifled laughter and open-mouthed concern in the audience.

I knew my own grandchildren in Houston were to be in their presentation today.  I recalled  9-year-old Anne-Marie's words to me at Thanksgiving:  "Mimi, I have three parts in our play," she announced. "I'm Elizabeth, Mary, and an angel!" When I registered astonishment, she explained, "Well,  I'm really supposed to be only Elizabeth.  She only has one line, 'His name is John!'"

Then my precise, articulate granddaughter went on, "See, Isaac (her two-year-old brother) is Baby Jesus, and I'm the only one that can control him, so I'm Mary for that one scene. And I have to substitute for an angel for just one scene while she does something else." Anyway, I would love to have seen the play, and I scanned the internet for pictures.  All that had been posted last night was one of group singing in which I spotted Maddie, 6, identifiable in the crowd by her bobbing red pony-tail.

I had learned on Facebook earlier in the day the sad news of the passing of a great-niece. She had been cured of brain cancer as a child of 5, but it had returned with a vengeance over 20 years later.   After weeks of aggressive treatment she lost her battle; but as her mother shared, "She got her wings today." Brooke was a light to all who knew her.

The first Christmas light was the star  that led the wise men to Jesus.  It was His light that guided her home.

Wake Up!

One of the points in our Women's Bible Study last night was, The fully awake respond. It was part of a lesson by Lisa Bevere, Awaken the Lioness in You, a call to Christian women to become actively engaged in reaching the lost.

Our facilitator related that on her trip to Canada from which she had just returned, she met someone in distress and surprised herself by giving exactly the right words that ministered to the person. Our leader said she was glad that she was awake to what God wanted her to say.

One woman shared that, although she had been a sympathetic ear to a friend going through long-standing problems, sometimes she knew she wasn't really listening or empathizing, and the friend did not seem to be coming out of her difficulties.  Then one day at a meeting something was said that caught her attention, awakening her and galvanizing her to action.  She spoke words to her friend who suddenly seemed herself to awaken and comprehend, tears streaming down her face in the realization of God's love.  It was a turning point for her.

Yesterday my husband and I were in a store and when checking out at the counter, the clerk asked us if we wanted to donate school supplies for children of military personnel. My husband is usually the conversationalist with checkers, and I normally look on in amusement.  He mentioned that since we had already paid, we would do that next time we were in.

"Our church is having a Back-to-School Bash this Sunday with backpacks and school supplies to be given away," I heard myself saying.

The cashier looked up with interest. "Really?" she exclaimed in surprise.  "Where is the church?" We told her, and she immediately grabbed paper and pen and wrote down the directions.  "That is so wonderful!  I have kids and I need all the help I can get!" As I noticed her more closely, I was aware of the lines crossing her care-worn face and realized she was probably working at this low-paying job to make ends meet.
 
I had only made the remark casually, having no idea of her response.  Whether the Lord put the words in my mouth or heart, I'm not sure, but I was awakened to say something!  Apparently, she had never heard of our church, so maybe this will be a connection for her to know that there are people out there who care.  It may be an opportunity for the church to awaken her to the love of Jesus, showing that we are awake and respond!

Impulse Buy

I was in love!  Browsing the antique store, I spotted a dresser.  An old-fashioned one with a padded bench in front of the lovely mirror.  Just what I had been wanting!  I could imagine the piece re-done in the new/old style with chalk/milk paint!  Wait! What's this?  A bed!  A charming headboard with curlicues carved into it, gingerbread style!  Then I spotted the matching chest of drawers and a night stand!  All in great condition.  The associate said they were from the 40s!

Where was my husband? I finally located him at the back of the store poring over old musical instruments.  "Look!  Isn't this amazing?" I asked when I pointed out the bedroom set.  To his question of "How much?" I showed him the ticket with the original price slashed to half off!  He walked away disinterestedly.  Well, I knew even at half off, it would be a stretch, so I didn't press the issue.

But I couldn't stop thinking about it!  The bedroom of my dreams!  Then when I got home and realized how much furniture I would have to move and rearrange to make room for it, I was a little uncertain. I've always subscribed to the theory, "If you love it, you'll find a place for it!"  Still, I kept calculating in my head how we could afford it.  Finally, before I went to sleep, I prayed a prayer that God would make a way to get the set, or that He would give me a sign it wasn't for me.

Yesterday, I accompanied my husband to town so he could get a watch-band adjusted.  When he came out of the jewelry store, I  realized that the antique store was just down the block.  "Let's go in and look at that bedroom furniture," I ventured.  "I want to take pictures of it."  My idea was to show them to my daughter to get her opinion.

We walked in, and I had my iPhone at the ready.  "Was it in this section?" I asked Howard.  Then I stepped down to the display where it was.  This is funny, I thought. Everything had changed.  In the headboard's place was a scrolled, metal headboard.  And there was no dresser, or anything else!  Just an odd assortment of antiques.  The same bright quilt covered the present bed, but my heart sank at the thought that it was gone.

"Did that white bedroom set sell?" I asked a clerk, to which she answered, "Yes, it sold!  It's been moved to the back."  I walked out of the store numbly.  My dream was up in smoke.  But I felt a nudge of conscience when I thought about my prayer.  God had answered it!  I didn't expect it to be this way, but in my spirit I felt the confirmation that that was indeed the answer.

Perhaps God has something better for me in mind, or perhaps he sees something in the future precluding the purchase.  Whatever it is, I know I have a prayer-answering God!  Sometimes his answer is Yes, sometimes it is No, and sometimes it is Wait.  I will wait and see.

The Get-Away

It seems everyone is having wonderful vacations this year!  Our son Trevor's family has just returned from a cruise. Much more than a stay aboard ship with marvelous food and entertainment, their vacation included adventures such as zip-lining over a Honduran jungle, cave-tubing in Belize and splashing in the refreshing waters of Little French Key.

Son Mark and grandson Grant enjoyed the hospitality of a friend's invitation to New York, a first-time visit for both.  They shared Facebook pictures from a boat with the two of them posed on either side of the Statue of Liberty in the background.  I loved the shots of them biking in Central Park.  They even saw a Broadway play, not to mention the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square and Grand Central Station.

Grandson Reid went along with friends to Disney World, saying it was the best trip there he had ever had.  I can't keep up with his sisters' activities, as it seems they are constantly rafting, tubing, floating, concert-ing or going to a beach somewhere.  (All this worked in despite summer life-guard jobs and hanging with friends.)

We kept busy and on the roads, too, celebrating the graduation of one grandson and the wedding of another. These gala events contrasted sharply with the sorrowful good-byes to my brother and our eldest grandson at their services this summer.  Even those occasions were not devoid of sweetness, though, at the pleasure of being with loved ones who live far away.

Vacations are important, and can be a time of refreshing and of gaining new perspectives.  Jesus recognized the need for rest and getting away from people when he advised  his disciples as recorded   in Mark's gospel. "And he said to them, 'Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a desert place..." Mark 6:31-32.

This was shortly after John the Baptist had been beheaded.  No doubts their hearts were sorrowful at this great loss.  People need time and space to grieve when someone dies.  My daughter and her husband felt the need to get away after their son's death.  They took solace in the beautiful Tennessee mountains near the ancestral home of Julie's grandmother, my mom.

Life goes on after vacations and times of rest, and/or sorrow.  In our family, life is rushing in, swirling with happy events. Julie's preemie baby grandson, our great-grandson, has gained over two pounds and has been released from the hospital.  Our now-oldest grandson and his fiance' have announced their engagement to be married next year.

There is a beautiful passage in Song of Solomon, reminiscent of our call to our heavenly home. "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land....Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!" Song 2:10-12, 13. 

Verse 9 says he is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice!  It can't be long before  see Him and our loved ones in heaven, the sights making any earthly vacation pale in comparison!

"But as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'"